Child&#39;s bouncer



Emma 7 HUERUN CHILD BOUNCFJR Filed July 27; 1929 1 ATTORNEY Patented.lune 7, 1932 *ir. star renter FRED HUEBLIN, F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON,ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-KARE T0 MARION L. H'UEBLIN, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTONCHILDS IBOUNCER Application filed July 27, 1929. Serial No. 381,576.

This invention relates to improvements in a childs bouncer which areespecially intended and designed for use by children about the ages ofone to three years.

It is a great desideratum of this invention to afiord the child user thegreatest possible latitude for exercise in the employment of the devicehereof and hence it is a feature of the invention to employ a reststructure in the form of a platform that is freely accessible from allupper and lateral edges, in

contra-distinction to a chair that must be occupied with the body in aprescribed position.

A further feature consists in mounting the rest structure or platform onsprings, and in such a novel manner that the platform will yield to sidesway as readily as to vertical movement, whereby the platform may besaid to have a full floating mounting.

It is a feature of the invention to employ a type of spring, such as theconical and preferably the double conical coil spring which as readilyyields to side sway as to vertical movement, in compression and recoil.

The invention has many other objects and features which will be morefully described in connection with the accompanying drawing and whichwill be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the most improvedform of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan view on a reduced scale, looking down on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view on the same scale as Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout thedifferent figures of the drawing.

As shown, the device includes a rest support structure which is in theform of a 45 platform 1 and the same is shown made of a relatively thinboard that is generally rectangular in contour, and may be square ifdesired. A base member or members is shown and the same may take theform of base rails D or slats as indicated at 2, which are adapted torest upon the floor or other main support. As shown in Fig. 1, saidslats 2 are of a length approximately equal to one dimension of theplatform 1 and two of said slats are employed. It will be noted thatsaid slats 2 are free from any connection with each other and that theyare relatively broad to form a suitably stable support. By reference toFigs. 2 and 4, it will be seen that said slats 2 are spaced apart fromeach other an extent so that the outer lateral edges of the latter willbe in substantially flush vertical relation with the correspondinglateral edges of the platform 1.

I will next describe the novel manner in which the platform isyieldingly mounted.

As shown, I employ yielding means in the form of springs and 1preferably use springs of the coil type. Said springs are generallydesignated at 3 and a spring is disposed adjacent each corner of theplatform, as indicated in Fig. 3, and said springs are located near theends of said slats, although I do not wish to be limited to thisparticular number or location of the springs. The lower ends of saidsprings 3 are suitably anchored to the tops of said slats 2, by anysuitable means such as staples 4., and the upper ends of said springsare anchored to the bottom of said platform 1, by the same character ofmeans, as indicated at 5.

It will now be clear that the platform 1, is floatingly mounted and thatit can yield downwardly from any side or corner responsive to the weightwhich the child imposes upon it. The long broad base rails or slats 2,by reason of the fact that they are not connected with each otherdirectly, but only through the medium of the springs and platform, forma more stable support than would individual bases for the lower ends ofthe springs. It will thus be seen that in the present form, as thus fardescribed, I have devised a fully operative structure that will affordthe child an infinite variety of exercising movement by reason of thecapacity of the platform to tilt from the horizontal and yield bothvertically and to any side sway.

However, the invention has a further feature which I will next describein detail.

i It will be noted that the springs 3 are of the conical type and thatthey are specifically shown to be of the double cone form, the upper andlower portions 6 and 7 respectively being of greater diameter than themedian or middle portions 8. This type of spring, as I have found inactual practice, loses nothing in resiliency for vertical movement, incompression and recoil, and very greatly facilitates side sway of theplatform, far more than if the springs were cylindrical throughout theirlength, or rather of the same diameter. In other words, springs of thistype are a trifle Weaker at theirlongitudinal centers than near theirends. In practice, I find that they do not sag or become deformed, as bylosing their aXial alinement. It will be noted that the springs 3,irrespective of the type employed, will be relatively short so as tosupport the platform 1 at a low elevation from the floor and in easy andaccessible range for an infant.

Therefore, in practice, when the child either sits or imposes his bodyupon the platform near an edge thereof, the platform not only tiltsdownwardly at an angle to the horizontal but sways laterally, and thisdouble action very greatly increases the variety of movement affordedand hence retains the interest of the user. Children who have used thedevice not only sit on the platform but lie down upon it and roll aboutin every conceivable position and by reason of the fact that theplatform is only about six inches from the floor, there is no danger ofthe user suffering injury even if he rolls off.

It will now be clear that the platform is readily accessible to the userfrom any lateral edge or corner thereof, and that the user can disposehis body thereon in any position dictated by his fancy, and therefore,he is not restrained and restricted as would be the case if the reststructure were in the form of a chair.

It is believed that the device of this invention will be fullyunderstood from the foregoing description and while I have herein shownand described one specific form of the invention, I do not wish to belimited thereto except for such limitationsas the claims may import.

I claim 1. In a childs platform bouncer, a platform of sufiicient areato permit the user to sit or dispose his body lengthwise thereupon andhaving all its lateral edge portions free and accessible therefor, basemembers adapted to rest upon the floor, and supporting springsinterposed between said members and platform and fioatingly sustainingsaid platform at a low elevation from the floor for unrestrained tiltingand yielding movement either vertically or in any lateral direction.

2. In a childs platform bouncer, base rails or slats free fromconnection with each other,

and adapted to rest on the floor, coil springs having their lower endsanchored to said rails near the ends thereof, and a substantiallyrectangular platform mounted on said springs and the upper ends of saidsprings being anchored to the bottom of said platform near the cornersof and inside the edges of the latter thereby making the platformaccessible to the body of the child from all sides, and said springsbeing of the cone type whereby said platform will as readily shiftlaterally as vertically, and said springs being relatively short tosupport said platform at a low infant range elevation from the floor.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

' FRED I-IUERLIN.

